The Cleveland Browns are taking two cracks at finding their next franchise quarterback after the team drafted Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
The problem is that neither one is guaranteed to pan out. Reviews of Gabriel have not been good thus far, and while Sanders has reportedly impressed in practice, he’s still just a fifth-round pick and is hardly guaranteed to answer the bell.
The team’s other starting quarterback options are no great shakes, either. Joe Flacco is north of 40 and is likely only a one-year option, and Kenny Pickett has already failed as a starting quarterback during his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If the Browns have the kind of awful campaign we anticipate them having, and if they don’t see enough out of their young signal-callers, it’s possible Cleveland may ditch Sanders and Gabriel for another quarterback at the top of the draft.
One player who is a long shot to be there is Texas signal-caller Arch Manning, who was recently predicted to land with the Browns at No. 2 overall in a mock draft from NFL Trade Rumors’ Ethan Woodie.
“Manning has a big name to live up to. It’s impressive that in the few games we’ve seen him in action, he’s lived up to the billing and then some,” Woodie wrote. “His command of the offense is advanced for his age — he reads defenses well pre-snap, plays with impeccable timing and touch on his passes, and is a natural at manipulating the pocket. All eyes will be on the new Longhorns starter in his first full season of action.”
Manning no doubt showed flashes in his limited opportunities behind Quinn Ewers last season.
Manning saw the field in 10 games and completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns to two interceptions. He also added 108 yards and another four scores on the ground, giving him 13 touchdowns in total.
It’s clear that Manning has the tools necessary to be a successful quarterback. He has the arm talent, and his mobility is a feature neither one of his uncles had.
However, everyone needs to pump the brakes on Manning being in the 2026 NFL draft.
Family history suggests that Manning isn’t going to enter the NFL after just one college season as a starter, and that’s especially unlikely to happen if he doesn’t break out like everyone is expecting him to.
So, while the Browns could attempt to land their next franchise quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft, we wouldn’t anticipate Manning being an option for them.
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